Kevin Durant is staying in Brooklyn, Bryce James secures his first scholarship offer, and remembering Kobe Bryant on his birthday.

Happy Humpday!

KEVIN DURANT

Kevin Durant is Staying in Brooklyn

In a surprise turn of events, it appears the Kevin Durant trade saga is over! Almost two months since KD’s trade request was made public, it appears he will be staying in Brooklyn after all.

Yesterday morning Nets GM Sean Marks released the following statement on Twitter: "[Coach] Steve Nash and I, together with [governors] Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday. We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn."

While plenty of skeptics question if this team is good enough to compete for the NBA title, the Nets' championship odds have swung dramatically. According to Caesars Sportsbook, the Nets' odds to win the NBA championship moved from 18-1 to 9-1 after the Durant news, good enough for the fourth-best odds in the league. The current betting favorites are the Celtics and Warriors, followed by a three-way tie between the Suns, Clippers, and Bucks.

BRYCE JAMES

Bryce James Secures His First Scholarship Offer

Bronny James may be getting a lot of buzz right now, but his younger brother Bryce is making big moves! Bryce is only a rising sophomore at Sierra Canyon School but just announced he’s been offered a scholarship at Duquesne University.

The Duquesne University Dukes play in the Atlantic 10 Conference and are located in Pittsburgh. While Duquesne University isn't as high profile a name as some of the schools Bronny’s been linked to, there are several connections between the university and the James family.

Their head coach Keith Dambrot previously coached LeBron during his first two years of high school hoops at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Additionally, one of Dambrot’s assistants is Dru Joyce III, LeBron’s former high school teammate.

Bryce has a bright future ahead of him and this offer will surely be the first of many scholarship opportunities for the young man.

KOBE BRYANT

Remembering Kobe Bryant on His Birthday

Yesterday was the late great Kobe Bryant’s birthday. Kobe was born on August 23rd, 1978, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, the youngest of three kids. Little did the Bryant family know just how much that newborn was going to change the world.

Kobe’s accomplishments are well known. He ranks fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, eighth in career minutes played in NBA history, sixth in total field goals made, and is one of three players in NBA history to make the All-Star game 18 times in his career; alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James.

But it was the way he played the game, his tenacity, and the iconic “Mamba Mentality” that inspired so many of his fans and peers to aspire to greatness. Kobe Bean Bryant strived to be the best version of himself every time he stepped out onto a basketball court and it showed.

There will never be another Kobe Bryant, but he will always be a legend.

THE RUMOR MILL

NBA Power Rankings: Where the Nets, Lakers and all 30 teams stand ahead of 2022-23 season

Bulls' Horace Grant's three championship rings up for auction

SEEN ON SOCIAL